Romance isn’t the forefront of many anime, but I understand why people end up shipping characters together. As someone who adores a good love story, it doesn’t matter what the setting is as long as my ship sails (even if it’s Kou x Nazuna). I’m serious, the anime could be about something as far removed from romance as skateboarding, and I will build a ship between characters based on scraps alone. (Though SK8 The Infinity definitely gives us more than a few cute interactions between characters, so it isn’t even that hard.) But in a manga such as Call Of The Night, it’s a little bit harder. This is strange because, technically, it’s an ecchi.

Listen, I am certain Kou Yamori, the protagonist, definitely has something more than friendship going on with Nazuna Nanakusa, his friendly neighborhood vampire acquaintance. And maybe in the later chapters, we will see it blossom into something more. But right now, the manga is very much a slow burn of epic proportions. We won’t likely see who Kou ends up with properly for a long, long time.

But hey, that’s just how works like Call of the Night go, where they focus heavily on the ambiance and the surroundings of a character to build the overall narrative. And it’s an honest-to-God refreshing take on things, especially when ecchi gets involved. There’s really no such thing as a ‘subdued ecchi’ manga. I mean, by its very nature, ecchi is meant to be provocative and loud. But whatever intimacy is shown in Call Of The Night between Kou and Nazuna, it’s more subtle and playful than anything.

But will that playfulness end up becoming more? That’s what we are here to discuss today in another segment of Lore Analysis – where we take an introspective look at the information available regarding a specific anime or manga and figure out what lies ahead. There’s a lot of foreshadowing done by the mangakas, so I’m sure there is some about the romance between Kou and Nazuna. So, let’s discuss.

Kou Yamori Is Lost On the Idea Of Love:

When we first meet Kou, he’s split over where his life is headed. Initially, he was a promising student who both his peers and teachers respected. But that respect slowly became meaningless, making him feel demotivated and lost over his life goals.

Because, truthfully, it’s like he couldn’t make a connection with other people his age. And so, he drops out and becomes a social recluse with insomnia. Making such a huge decision at such a young age shows maturity and a sense of being aimless and confused about what he really wanted in life. He’s exhausted, numb from all the pressure he was under.

So, when he starts roaming the streets at night and comes upon Nazuna, it is like a shot of light in the dark. Maybe it wasn’t enough to pull him out of his funk completely, but it felt like he was somewhere where he belonged. He might not understand what it is to make connections like love yet, but he is attracted to Nazuna for a reason.

Nazuna Nanakusa Is The Lighthearted Energy Kou Needs!

One thing about Nazuna is how callous she is with everything. She can make friends wherever she goes, and she uses that to her full advantage. She is extremely charismatic and fun, and it’s no wonder Kou is so enamored by her. She is, for the lack of a better term, magnetic.

Again, that could be her Night-Walker side, her effortless friendliness just there to pull prey in to satiate her vampiric hunger. But no, she genuinely does like talking to people. She’s extremely extroverted for someone whose Circadian rhythm is permanently nocturnal. But that’s why she works as such a perfect foil for Kou.

She is laid-back, helping Kou get through whatever nerves he might experience while talking to literal monsters hiding in the night. And, despite her dubious nature, she has a strange moral compass where she doesn’t take blood from those who don’t give enthusiastic consent. Which, hey, in an ecchi anime? That’s a neat thing to show. She isn’t just the ‘sexy succubus’ type. Her personality is flirtatious, sure, but she isn’t ashamed of that.

Why Kou Will Comprehend Love Through Nazuna:

Kou is already adamant about becoming a vampire like Nazuna, so he looks up to her in some capacity. But it’s friendly nature that has pulled him somewhat out of his shell. This is why I think Kou will eventually fall for Nazuna completely.

The boy that lost all desire to engage with people now walks the neon streets of Tokyo at night and converses with its nightly patrols. No matter their age, or race (or species, in this case), he lends an ear to anyone willing to talk. It’s clear how much Nazuna has rubbed off on him.